REDMOND, Wash. (October 22, 20090--Microsoft's newest operating system, called Windows 7, is available Thursday, and it’s expected to work better than its predecessor, Vista.

It’s also intended to look less cluttered than Vista, streamlining operations with fewer clicks and fewer annoying notifications, which includes making it easier to set up home networking to share photos, plugging in new devices and adding new software.

Windows 7 also adds better support for touch-screen controls, leading such PC makers as Dell and Hewlett-Packard to add "multi-touch" screens that respond to finger gestures.

Making a version of Windows that people like, rather than tolerate, is critical for Microsoft. Most people don't choose Windows as much as they end up with it, because it's familiar and affordable, but it's conceivable Microsoft will have to work harder to win people over, thanks to a small but growing threat from Apple's Macs and a forthcoming PC operating system from Web search nemesis Google Inc.